Date     11/1/2006: Message on "Employment Post": Larsen & Toubro Limited, India’s leading engineering and technology major, has a world-class fabrication facility at Hazira, near Surat. L&T’s Hazira Works is certified for ISO-9001 (2000), ISO-14001 and OHSAS-18001. L&T’s expertise in using cutting-edge technology for offshore and onshore modules like Well-head & Process Platforms, Reformers, etc. at its Modular Fabrication Facility has been globally recognized. To sustain our winning edge, we are now looking for highly motivated and talented HVAC engineer. His overall responsibility will be execution of Heating Ventilating & Air Conditioning (HVAC) system for Offshore Modules. Responsibilities will include: • Co-ordination with Engineering Centre, Client & Third Party Inspection Agencies. • Follow-up with Sub-contractors and suppliers. • Installation, testing & pre-commissioning of HVAC system. • Co-ordination with expats at MFF-Hazira & Offshore during the above stages. Qualification: First-class Degree in Mechanical/Production Engineering from a reputed Institute. Experience: 8-15 years relavant experience in large/medium-sized companies / projects in India or abroad. Knowledge of work on Offshore Modules will be preferred. Please send your resume to spi[AT]hzw[DOT]ltindia[DOT]com

Date: 21st to 25th Nov. 2006
Time: 0930 to 1730 hours
Venue: Tropical AC & R Institute, Arch No 11, Mahalaxmi, Jacob Circle PO, Mumbai 400011, Tel 23003579/9453/1969

Maximum participants: 30

Course fees: Rs. 4,000/head. Course fee includes tea, snacks, lunch and course material.

Cheque to be drawn in favour of "Ishrae Mumbai Chapter" and couriered/ handed over to:
Ishrae Mumbai Chapter
214 Turf Estate
Off Dr. E Moses Road
Near Mahalakshmi Station
Mumbai 400 011
Phone 24932611
Telefax 24933701
e-mail ishrae_m@vsnl.net

Discount to ISHRAE and ASHRAE members: 20%

Cancellation charge:Rs. 500/- till 14th November 2006, thereafter no refund.

APPLY WITH:

Name:
Sponsor (Company) name:
Contact telephone numbers:
Mobile number:
Fax number:
email ID:


Course Contents:

Overview of HVAC -Various

Basic Psychrometrics - Rajeev Kakkar

The psychrometric chart * concept of dry bulb, wet bulb temperatures * absolute humidity and relative humidity * Enthalpy * Sensible heat factor * psychrometric processes * Examples.

Practical Heat Load Calculation - Rajeev Kakkar

Simple Heat Load Calculation Procedure * Temperature Design Conditions & Weather Data * Thermal Properties of Materials and Dead Air spaces * Heat Transfer Through Roofs,Walls & Floor * Zoning * Overhangs * Infiltration * Fresh Air & Treated  Fresh Air * Heat Load from Windows *Internal Loads * Examples.

Ducting and Duct Layout - Vikram Murthy

Planning a single Line Duct Layout * Ducting & Duct layout Design Criteria * Equal Friction * Equal Friction Method * Ductulator * Plenum Design * Return Air Considerations * GSS Ducting Standards & Methods ofConstruction * Types of ducts * Measurement * Duct Accessories * Examples.

Air Distribution for Constant AirVolume Systems - V Krishnan

Human Comfort * Noise Criteria * Types of Air Outlets * Performance Characteristics * dampers  * Installation * Ordering Grilles and Diffusers *  Examples.

About the faculty:

Rajeev Kakkar is a B.Tech., Mechanical engineering, from I.I.T. Kharagpur, and has worked in Voltas, Batliboi and Carrier Aircon and is now an eminent HVAC consultant. He is the webmaster for hvacindia.com. and is in the Technical Advisor for  the ISHRAE hourly load calculation project, HLCP.

Vikram Murthy is a B.Tech., Electrical engineering, from IIT Kanpur and has Worked in Voltas, Utility and Genpower. He is now the Director, Univac Systems and Trustee, Tropical AC&R Institute. He is the President Elect, ISHRAE Mumbai Chapter.

V Krishnan is a B.Tech.,  Electrical Engineering, BHU and has worked in Voltas and is a Director of Dynacraft for the past 14 years. He was President, Ishrae Mumbai Chapter and is currently President, Ashrae Western India Chapter.

LONDON: The British government is sending the author of the apocalyptic report on global climate change, Sir Nicholas Stern on a tour of India to press home the central fears of his review and to push the Indian government into taking steps to curb its carbon emissions.

Read report from DNA:

http://www.dnaindia.com/report.asp?NewsID=1061387

Nate Anderson says,"" Server farms don't run without power, and that's why the search for cheap and reliable electricity has pushed data center designers to build their inelegant constructions in some out-of-the-way places. This concern over power marks a major change in thinking; no longer worried just about one-time capital expenses, data center operators factor in on-going expenses for the power that runs both computers and air conditioning. "A couple of years ago I would measure a data center in square footage," Debra Chrapaty of Microsoft told Fortune this summer. "Now I look at megawatts of power. It is a new way of measuring technology." But what happens when the power fails? ""

Read more:

http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20061026-8086.html

Nominations are now open for the 2nd "Bry-Air Awards for Excellence in HVAC&R" for the year 2006. Please note that you can send more than one nomination. As you would be aware, Bry-air has instituted the "Awards for Excellence in HVAC&R" to encourage, motivate and award excellence in innovative thinking, that enhances India's competitiveness in the HVAC&R industry worldwide.

The deadline for receiving the nominations is now 31st October 2006.

Please log on to http://www.bryairawards.com or email sdutta[AT]pahwa[DOT]com for further details, or download the Nomination Forms for Product Design and System Design. (pdf)

The Bry-Air awards are presented annually to individual or a corporate that have made an outstanding contribution in the following two (2) categories:

New/Innovative Systems Design
New/Innovative Product Design

There are two awards in each category:

1. Most outstanding and innovative systems and product design.
In each category, the winner will take away the Trophy and a cheque of Rs. 1,00,000.00

2. Next best innovative systems and product design.
In each category, the Runner-up will take away a Trophy and a cheque of Rs. 50,000.00

Eid Mubarak!

hvacindia.com and members of the CWC ISHRAE Mumbai Chapter wish all visitors a very happy and prosperous year ahead!!!!

Date: 21st to 25th Nov. 2006
Time: 0930 to 1730 hours
Venue: Tropical AC & R Institute, Arch No 11, Mahalaxmi, Jacob Circle PO, Mumbai 400011, Tel 23003579/9453/1969

Maximum participants: 30

Course fees: Rs. 4,000/head. Course fee includes tea, snacks, lunch and course material.

Cheque to be drawn in favour of "Ishrae Mumbai Chapter" and couriered/ handed over to:
Ishrae Mumbai Chapter
214 Turf Estate
Off Dr. E Moses Road
Near Mahalakshmi Station
Mumbai 400 011
Phone 24932611
Telefax 24933701
e-mail ishrae_m@vsnl.net

Discount to ISHRAE and ASHRAE members: 20%

Cancellation charge:Rs. 500/- till 14th November 2006, thereafter no refund.

APPLY WITH:

Name:
Sponsor (Company) name:
Contact telephone numbers:
Mobile number:
Fax number:
email ID:


Course Contents:

Overview of HVAC -Various

Basic Psychrometrics - Rajeev Kakkar

The psychrometric chart * concept of dry bulb, wet bulb temperatures * absolute humidity and relative humidity * Enthalpy * Sensible heat factor * psychrometric processes * Examples.

Practical Heat Load Calculation - Rajeev Kakkar

Simple Heat Load Calculation Procedure * Temperature Design Conditions & Weather Data * Thermal Properties of Materials and Dead Air spaces * Heat Transfer Through Roofs,Walls & Floor * Zoning * Overhangs * Infiltration * Fresh Air & Treated  Fresh Air * Heat Load from Windows *Internal Loads * Examples.

Ducting and Duct Layout - Vikram Murthy

Planning a single Line Duct Layout * Ducting & Duct layout Design Criteria * Equal Friction * Equal Friction Method * Ductulator * Plenum Design * Return Air Considerations * GSS Ducting Standards & Methods ofConstruction * Types of ducts * Measurement * Duct Accessories * Examples.

Air Distribution for Constant AirVolume Systems - V Krishnan

Human Comfort * Noise Criteria * Types of Air Outlets * Performance Characteristics * dampers  * Installation * Ordering Grilles and Diffusers *  Examples.

About the faculty:

Rajeev Kakkar is a B.Tech., Mechanical engineering, from I.I.T. Kharagpur, and has worked in Voltas, Batliboi and Carrier Aircon and is now an eminent HVAC consultant. He is the webmaster for hvacindia.com. and is in the Technical Advisor for  the ISHRAE hourly load calculation project, HLCP.

Vikram Murthy is a B.Tech., Electrical engineering, from IIT Kanpur and has Worked in Voltas, Utility and Genpower. He is now the Director, Univac Systems and Trustee, Tropical AC&R Institute. He is the President Elect, ISHRAE Mumbai Chapter.

V Krishnan is a B.Tech.,  Electrical Engineering, BHU and has worked in Voltas and is a Director of Dynacraft for the past 14 years. He was President, Ishrae Mumbai Chapter and is currently President, Ashrae Western India Chapter.

Date: 17th November 2006
Time: 0930 to 1730 hours

Venue:

Direction One
New English School Premises, 1st floor,
Govt. Colony,
Bandra East
Mumbai 400 050
Tel: 022-65565623, 26573819

Maximum participants: 60

Course fees: Rs 2000/head. Course fee includes lunch, tea, snacks and any course material

Cheque to be drawn in favour of "Ishrae Mumbai Chapter" and couriered/ handed over to:
Ishrae Mumbai Chapter
214 Turf Estate
Off Dr. E Moses Road
Near Mahalakshmi Station
Mumbai 400 011
Phone 24932611
Telefax 24933701
e-mail ishrae_m@vsnl.net

Discount to ISHRAE and ASHRAE members: 20%

Cancellation charge: Rs. 500/- till 10th November 2006, thereafter no refund.

APPLY WITH:

Name:
Sponsor (Company) name:
Contact telephone numbers:
Mobile number:
Fax number:
email ID:

Course Content:

Control loop components

Type of controls * Mechanical * Electrical * Pneumatic * Electronic * DDC Transmitters * P,I,D, FUZZY authority * Sensors, and Transducers * Accuracy Vs resolution * Type of control logics * Switches, Relays, Contactors * Valve selection, Kv/Cv, valve * Actuators * VAV – Pressure dependent/independent * Communication Protocols * Control schemes * Wiring the controls

Faculty:

Amrish Chopra is a BE Mech.from NIT, Kurukshetra. He has more than 30 years experience in HVAC Projects in India and in theGulf in project sales, design, execution and maintenance. For more than 20 years he has been involved in HVAC Controls and Building Management Systems.  He represented  M/s Staefa Control Systems, Switzerland, now part of Siemens, in India and then went on to set up his own manufacturing company, Instrument (P) Ltd., which manufactures a wide range of controls and Small Building Management Systems. The products are widely accepted in India as well as abroad.

Arvind Desai has 30 years of experience in Project Engineering and Management. A double graduate in Electrical and Mechanical Engineering, from Gujarat University, Desai has had a long stint of over 22 years with Tata Consulting Engineers, Mumbai. Presently Desai is General Manager at Belimo Vitek Air Controls, Mumbai. The company is the distributor of Belimo make electronic actuators for the Indian submarket. He is immediate past President of ISHRAE, Mumbai Chapter.

ICE ISHRAE Continuing Education Programmes are organised by ISHRAE Mumbai Chapter and ASHRAE Western India Chapter.

ICE comprises of short courses on basic and advanced HVAC for fresh and experienced diploma and graduate engineers. The first course was held recently and proved to be an outstanding success.

The aim of the ICE programme is to upgrade fresh and experienced engineers on the basics of HVAC, and on specific advanced topics.

ISHRAE and ASHRAE members can avail of a 20% discount on course fees.

Fresh announcements on upcoming programmes shall be announced in the "Training" category link, to enable you to apply for the same.

The course co-ordinator is Gautham Baliga.

In case you need futher details, please contact ISHRAE Mumbai Chapter:

ISHRAE Mumbai Chapter
214 Turf Estate
Off Dr. E Moses Road
Near Mahalakshmi Station
Mumbai 400 011
Phone 24932611
Telefax 24933701
e-mail ishrae_m@vsnl.net

For any suggestions on the course content or feedback on the course please email hvacindia@gmail.com

hvacindia.com and members of the CWC ISHRAE Mumbai Chapter wish all visitors a very happy and prosperous Diwali!!

elearning-training.com has launched an online training programme on HVAC and Refrigeration for use by individual and corporations. The first available online course - Refrigeration Fundamentals - contains four 30 minute-modules covering Thermodynamics, Vapour Compression Cycle, Gas Properties and Laws, and Pressure & Pressure Measurement. A further course in the series covering Air Conditioning and a Reference Library are currently in production and will be available by the end of October 2006. elearning-training.com is backed by the resources and expertise of The Star Refrigeration Group. Founded in 1970. For more information visit http://www.elearning-training.com for a free sample lesson.

Carrier Corporation President Geraud Darnis said that his company continues to grow in its core markets and may expand into additional markets to stay ahead of competition worldwide. In a Q&A interview with The Business Standard of India, Darnis said Carrier is considering greater investment in cold-chain refrigeration. He also said that Carrier is looking to expand in the foreign residential AC  market, particularly in Asia.

Read more:

When Jonathan Schwartz CEO of Sun Microsystems Inc. speaks on the death of yestrerday's datacentre, the world sits up and listens. This is what he has to say on his blog:
"An executive from a mobile phone company recently told me the feature most requested by buyers in their fastest growing geography (India) was an LED flashlight. Not a camera, but a flashlight. Edison would never have guessed (obviously). Nor that electricity would one day be on airplanes, lunar landers or deep sea submarines."

"Now I understand that IT infrastructure has to be put somewhere. But the whole concept of a datacenter is a bit of an anachronism. We certainly don't put power generators in precious city center real estate, or put them on pristine raised flooring with luxuriant environmentals, or surround them with glass and dramatic lighting to host tours for customers. (But now you know why we put 5 foot logos on the sides of our machines.)"

"Where do we put power generators? In the engine room. In the basement. Or on the roof. And we don't host tours (at least in the developed world)."

Read more:

For years, the only code available for moisture control was the recommendation given in the ASHRAE handbook, but there was no standard available. ASHRAE has now proposed Standard 160P, "Design criteria for Moisture Control in Buildings", and the electronic draft of the document in zipped format is available for download and is open for public review at this link. for a limited period of time.

HVAC & R Japan, Tokyo, Japan on February 5-8 2008

HVACR Vietnam 2007, Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam March 22-24. Contact www.hqlink.com

HARFKO 2007, Koyang City, Korea, March 21-23 2007 at Kintex, Koyang City, Korea. Contact +82-2-558-2819 or +82-2-369-7515 or yhk@ref.or.kr

International Air-Conditioning, Heating, Refrigeration Exposition, (AHR Expo), Jan 29-31 2007, Dallas, USA. Co-sponsored by ASHRAE and ARI. Contact International Exposition Company at 203-221-9232 or www.ahrexpo.com

The Big 5 show, largest trade show for the construction industry ni the gulf region, Oct 28th - Nov 1st, Dubai International Exhibition Centre, dubai, U.A.E. Contact organisers at big5@emirates.net.ae

IKK 2006, Oct. 18-20, Nurnberg, Germany. Contact organisers at 4909 1186 060, fax 4909 1186068228 or www.ikk-online.com

ACREX 2008, Exposition on Air conditioning, Refrigeration and Allied Industry, Bangalore. February 15-17. Venue: Bangalore Trade Centre (KTPO), Whitefield. Organised by four ISHRAE Southern India chapters and co-sponsored by ASHRAE South India chapter. For details visit http://www.acrex.org.in or contact 080-30915523 or ishrae@bgl.vnsl.net.in

Exposition on Air conditioning, Refrigeration and Allied Industry, Science City, Kolkata. 18-20 January 2007. Organised by ISHRAE Kolkata chapter.

International Exhibition on Heating, Ventilation, Air conditioning, Refrigeration, Air Filtration and Purification at Bombay Exhibition Centre, Mumbai, October 26-28. http://www.hqlink.com

Free download from here:

http://www.newfreedownloads.com/Business/Applications/Psychrometer-chart-Duct-calculator.html

ATLANTA - The hottest new rap video can't be seen on MTV, BET or even VH-1 - it's on ASHRAE.org.
That's right - "rap video." Not something you would think that the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) had the 4-11 about, right?
"If ASHRAE and our industry are going to be successful in promoting engineering and HVAC&R as career options, then we have to reach out to young people in a way that is entertaining and interesting to them," Ron Johnson, chair of ASHRAE's Student Activities Committee, said. "Hence, this video."
ASHRAE: Licensed to Chill features a hot soundtrack accompanied by interviews with young members highlighting the importance of the HVAC&R industry to the world; the diverse and creative opportunities related to engineering as a career; and the difference the building industry makes related to sustainability.
"The video drives home the message that our industry truly engineers the world we live in, and that young people don't want to miss out on the chance to be a part of that," he said.
The video will be made available to middle and high schools that seek information about careers in engineering from ASHRAE. It also is available in several formats suitable for downloading at

http://www.ashrae.org/students/page/951

Or download now: (Servers may be overloaded currently, since it's so fresh!)

Windows Media Player

http://cms.ashrae.biz/chill/L2C.wmv

iPod

http://cms.ashrae.biz/chill/L2C-iPod.m4v

PlayStation Portable

http://cms.ashrae.biz/chill/L2CPSP.MP4

ASHRAE, founded in 1894, is an international organization of 55,000 persons. ASHRAE fulfills its mission of advancing heating, ventilation, air conditioning and refrigeration to serve humanity and promote a sustainable world through rapping, research, standards writing, publishing and continuing education. ISHRAE is an Associate of ASHRAE.

ISHRAE Mumbai Chapter intends to conduct a one-day training programme on "Understanding Pumps" on 27th October 2006 in Mumbai. For further details, please download the .doc file here.
ICE_Understanding_pumps.doc (289 KB)

“The architecture and design profession is the only profession that can slow this down,” he said. “Architects have been complaining that they’re losing status . . . Well, that has changed. Now we have a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to change the world”, Edward Mazria told attendees at the Southeast regional meeting of the American Institute of Architects.

Read more

Web journals are threatening to turn on its head the traditional peer-review system that for decades has been the established way to pick apart research before it's made public. Next month, the San Francisco-based non-profit Public Library of Science will launch its first open peer-reviewed journal, PLoS ONE, focusing on science and medicine. Like its sister publications, it will make research articles available for free online by charging authors to publish.

But unlike articles in other PLoS journals that undergo rigorous peer review, manuscripts in PLoS ONE are posted for the world to dissect after an editor gives them just a cursory look.

"If we publish a vast number of papers, some of which are mediocre and some of which are stellar, Nobel Prize-winning work -- I will be happy," said Chris Surridge, the journal's managing editor.

Some open peer-reviewed journals launched in the past year haven't been big draws. Still, even some mainstream journals such as the prestigious British publication Nature are experimenting.

Read more:

Consumer electronic goods maker Videocon Industries Ltd. plans to invest 1.5 billion rupees (approx. U.S. $32.5 million) to set up a plant to make home appliances in Uttaranchal, according to Reuters. The project would be funded from internal accruals, and the plant would manufacture a wide range of home appliances. The unit would help Videocon expand its reach in northern India.

Steve Pavlina has a great post on "10 stupid mistakes made by the newly self-employed" which deserves a read. He says, "Having been a non-employee for about 14 years now, I’ve made my share of stupid business mistakes.  I’ve also coached a number of people to start their own businesses, and I’ve seen many of them make similar mistakes.  This advice is geared towards small business owners, particularly people who are just starting (or about to start) their own business." and moves on to list out 10 points to avoid these mistakes. Scroll down his page for related articles on the subject.

http://www.stevepavlina.com/blog/2006/04/10-stupid-mistakes-made-by-the-newly-self-employed/

The device, which uses an electrical charge to create a cooling air jet right at the surface of the chip, could be critical to advancing computer technology because future chips will be smaller, more tightly packed and are likely to run hotter than today's chips. As a result, tomorrow's computers will need cooling systems far more efficient than the fans and heat sinks that are used today.

"With this pump, we are able to integrate the entire cooling system right onto a chip," said Alexander Mamishev, associate professor of electrical engineering and principal investigator on the project. "That allows for cooling in applications and spaces where it just wasn't realistic to do before."

Read more:

Conducted by ISHRAE EDUCATION & RESEARCH FOUNDATION.
On the repeated demand of HVAC&R Practicing Engineers from India and neighboring countries and members of ISHRAE & ASHRAE, IERF announces a Distance Learning Programme in the field of Air Conditioning & Refrigeration.

We have developed two modules in Distance Learning Programme:

Module 1: Certificate Course in AC & R.
Module 2: Advance Diploma Course in AC & R.


Module 1: Certificate Course

Eligibility: Qualification no bar. Any educated person having more than 3 to 4 years working experience in HVAC&R industry can apply. (Fresher are not eligible).

Duration: 6 Months.

Procedure: IERF will dispatch 2 Subject Modules every month along with Question Papers. Which candidate has to solve and dispatch it to us every month. After receiving the answer sheet of 1st module, the 2nd  module will be dispatched (Total 12 – 13 modules will be dispatched.) The candidates who successfully complete all the modules will be provided with a Certificate.

Evaluation: Each candidate have to obtained about 50 % marks.

Full term one time Fee:

INR 12000.00 (Lumpsum inclusive of postage)
    $ 300.00 for foreign student one time.

In Installments:

INR 5000.00 at the time of admission.
INR 2000.00 per month next 4 months.


Module 2: Six Month Advance Diploma Course in Air conditioning & Refrigeration.

This Diploma Course is meant for qualified working professionals in HVAC&R industry.

 Eligibility: Degree/Diploma holder engineers in any discipline having minimum 2-3 years working experience in a reputed HVAC&R company/industry can apply.  

Full term fee: 

INR 18,500.00 (Lumpsum inclusive of postage).
       $ 450.00 for foreign student one time.

In Installments:
INR 5,000.00 at the time of admission.
INR 3,000.00 per month, next 5 months.

(Note: There will be provision for 22-24 weekend classes for Delhi & NCR students. Those students willing to join these  classes will pay 5000.00 extra at the time of admission).

Examination: The Terminal Test Papers will be sent to students for Practice. The final exams will be conducted in Delhi along with Diploma holder regular students. The candidates who will successfully pass the exam will be awarded the Diploma.

The interested candidate may send their application form along with photocopies of certificates, stating their qualifications and experience along with DD/Banker’s cheque in the favour of ‘ISHRAE Education & Research Foundation’ payable at Delhi for the confirmation of their admission.  

The Session will start from 3rd / 4th week of October, 2006 and Diploma exams will be conducted during the month of March 2007.

Application Form for Distance Learning can be received from our office on the payment of Rs. 100.00 by pay order / Bankers cheque issued in the favour of ISHRAE Education & Research Foundation payable at Delhi. Local candidate can get it by cash payment.

For Application Form and details please contact at the following address,
Or download this document and the Application form.
Distance Learning- Application Form.doc (397.5 KB)


Mr V.K.Seth
Coordinator

ISHRAE Education & Research Foundation (IERF)
A-132, Katwaria Sarai, New Delhi-110016

Tel. No.-011-26602642
E-mail: ierf05@bol.net.in ; ierf05@ierfeducation.org; ierf05@sify.com;
Web : http://www.hvacindia.com; http://www.dcishrae.org

"Further global warming of 1 °C defines a critical threshold. Beyond that we will likely see changes that make Earth a different planet than the one we know." So says Jim Hansen, director of NASA's Goddard Institute for Space Studies in New York. Hansen and colleagues have analysed global temperature records and found that surface temperatures have been increasing by an average of 0.2 °C every decade for the past 30 years. Warming is greatest in the high latitudes of the northern hemisphere, particularly in the sub-Arctic boreal forests of Siberia and North America. Here the melting of ice and snow is exposing darker surfaces that absorb more sunlight and increase warming, creating a positive feedback.

Read more

The American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers Inc. [ASHRAE] is publishing a book on data center liquid cooling technologies -- due out in a few months -- that could promote standardization of this technology. By tackling the liquid cooling issue from a vendor-neutral perspective, ASHRAE will likely boost the adoption of liquid cooling in the data center. SearchDataCenter.com caught up with Don Beaty of ASHRAE's Technical Committee TC 9.9 to talk about the upcoming publication. Beaty was traveling in Europe when we contacted him -- this is an excerpt of an email interview.

Read more

Heat, that nasty by-product of computer processing, is a data center's worst enemy. Excessive heat fries CPUs, crashes servers, drains performance, taxes cooling systems, and ultimately sucks electricity. The problem is getting worse as tightly packed racks of servers raise temperatures ever higher, sending the industry scrambling to avoid a meltdown. One solution: water, what else?

Read more

Setting air conditioners to below 25.5 degrees Celsius could soon constitute a crime in Hong Kong, according to a senior government official. Speaking at a forum on climate change, Tse Chin-wan, assistant director of the Environmental Protection Department, revealed legislation may be on the horizon to force local businesses to adopt healthier indoor temperatures. "If you ask me, I wanted a law [mandating temperatures not lower than 25.5 degrees] to be introduced yesterday, but in society we need to first make sure the community is aware of the problem," Tse said Wednesday. "The second step is to make sure there is community support, and then the third step is to make it into law."

Read more